On the Identification and Exposure of Lies (1)

"What is Dongfang writing?"

Ichinose leaned in, standing beside Dongfang Yi, and curiously peered at the scribbles in his notebook.

And at the silver-hooked, iron-drawn calligraphy upon the page.

It was vigorous and powerful, the ink strokes resembling a sturdy pine standing proudly atop a mountain peak. The spacing between the characters was just right—a hair more and it would be too sparse, a hair less and it would be too cramped.

It possessed a unique, natural rhythm.

It was as if writing was meant to be such an elegant and aesthetic endeavor.

Perhaps the only issue was the strange-looking doodle on the notebook; one couldn't tell which anime's silly, cute girl the creator had been trying to draw.

But it had already been half-erased, so the author clearly didn't want it to be seen by the world.

Thus, Ichinose was drawn back to the characters Dongfang Yi had written, curious as to what kind of book notes he was making with such beautiful penmanship.

"Thanks to the me from yesterday, the mess left behind by that lazy bastard..."

The gentle and generous girl whispered the words unconsciously.

What is this? A light novel?

She became immersed in it, completely failing to notice the composed gaze of Dongfang Yi beside her.

Dongfang Yi naturally wasn't worried about her seeing the content regarding the system.

Because the system could automatically censor...

Of course not!

Because this diary was merely a secondary, watered-down version he used to jot down random things.

The parts concerning the system only contained fresh entries written today—nothing more than a few scattered words related to his drawing skills.

It didn't matter if she saw them.

"Today's tasks... hmm... reading at the library, accompanying Airi to take photos..."

Reading up to this point, Ichinose froze. She looked to the side, stiffly realizing that this... seemed to be a diary.

"Finished reading?"

Dongfang Yi sat upright, staring straight ahead without shifting his gaze, his hands clasped against his lips. His low voice echoed faintly in the girl's ears.

"...Gulp..." Ichinose swallowed hard, turning her head to look out the window. "The weather is so nice today, haha."

"Don't you intend to say something, Ichinose?"

Dongfang Yi spoke in a deep voice. His expression was solemn and grave as he continued to stare at the desk. His posture was as straight as a sword blade, and the lines of his profile were unremarkable.

He sat there in the chair, motionless like a sculpture, yet he radiated an unusual sense of pressure.

"Wuu, I didn't mean to look, Dongfang, gomen nasai."

Ichinose pressed her palms together against her forehead, her apology quite sincere.

Perhaps the girl's sincerity moved the heavens, for the sculpture came to life. He slowly raised his head and looked straight ahead. "Ichinose, do you know what you just read?"

"Gulp, what... is it? Isn't it a diary?"

It felt as if a giant boulder were hanging in mid-air in Ichinose's heart, suspended and refusing to fall, giving her an inexplicable sense of unease.

"This notebook you saw is the secret buried in the deepest part of my heart, and it is something I spent countless efforts to create..."

"W-what?"

"Guide to the Destruction of Dongfang Yi's Life."

"Hm? What is that?" Ichinose rubbed her ears in confusion, feeling as if she had misheard.

"My Self-Destruction Plan of Unrivaled Intellect."

"These two names don't seem to match at all, Dongfang." Ichinose fell into a state of confusion. "And why are they such... sorrowful things like destruction plans and guides?"

"Do you want to know why?" Dongfang Yi asked without turning his head.

Ichinose nodded honestly.

"Because once it leaks, I will have no choice but to end my life to prove my innocence."

The stiff sculpture turned toward her. His voice seemed to carry endless pain and sorrow, and his clear eyes appeared to shimmer with tears, looking utterly pitiful.

"Ichinose, please, you must not tell anyone. As long as you don't tell, I am willing to do anything..."

Ichinose's heart was struck hard.

She felt like a villainess coercing an innocent young man, and a sense of guilt welled up within her.

I'm such a wretch! To think I actually looked at something so important to him!

Infected by the emotion, she nodded solemnly and promised, "I, I will definitely keep this a secret. I will never leak it. You can trust me completely, Dongfang."

"Really won't you?" Dongfang Yi felt that playing the role of a "green tea" flower was becoming addictive.

"Absolutely not! This is my promise. I will never go back on my word!"

Ichinose desperately wanted Dongfang Yi to believe her, so she looked straight into the boy's eyes.

Then she watched helplessly as the boy turned his head away and covered his mouth.

"Pfft~ Hahaha~ cough~"

Dongfang Yi's shoulders trembled slightly. A moment later, as if he had finally calmed his mood, he turned back with a sorrowful expression and said timidly:

"Really~? With those words from Ichinose, I, I can finally rest easy~"

Ichinose stared at his performance, dumbfounded and stunned.

Even as kind-hearted as she was, she had already realized she had been deceived.

If Kamuro were here, she would definitely be looking at me with the eyes one reserves for scum, right? That would be so satisfying... wouldn't it?

It's a pity it's Ichinose; she's too gentle, making it no fun to bully her.

Dongfang Yi rubbed his face, loosening his facial muscles, and returned to his normal expression.

He raised an eyebrow triumphantly and looked at the conflicted Ichinose beside him: "You really are easy to fool, Ichinose-san."

"Dongfang-san, have you ever heard the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf?" Ichinose felt a bit angry: "Liars never come to a good end."

"But before a liar receives their true punishment, it is always the honest people who are deceived by them that suffer the losses." Dongfang Yi retorted nonchalantly, pointing to the chair beside him: "Sit down, Ichinose-san."

Ichinose puffed up her cheeks, smoothed out her pristine skirt, and sat down on the chair Dongfang Yi had pulled out for her.

She was feeling a bit annoyed.

Today, she was still wearing her uniform perfectly, the soft, exquisite curves of her figure keeping the fabric free of any wrinkles, and even the bangs on her forehead were styled with extra care.

She looked like she was about to attend some kind of event.

"Do you have an interview this afternoon?" Dongfang Yi asked softly.

"Yes." Ichinose felt that the good mood she had from seeing him earlier had been completely ruined by the person in front of her. She waved her pink fist: "I will definitely become a student council officer and make Dongfang-san admit his mistakes properly!"

"Mm, I also think Ichinose will be a very excellent student council member. You will surely be able to handle all the student council work properly." Dongfang Yi smiled slightly, offering gentle encouragement: "I also believe that Ichinose will definitely do her best to help everyone in need get out of their predicaments."

"Eh?" Being praised like that, Ichinose looked away shyly: "I, I'm not as good as you say."

"I saw it, you know."

"Eh?"

"I saw you helping a classmate solve their problems at the cafe." Dongfang Yi said with a smile.